Magnetic drinkware

ABSTRACT

An article of drinkware is preferably made of a double walled stainless steel construction which forms a vacuum chamber. The top of the drinkware is closed with a lid, while the bottom is press fit into a base that contains a strong, permanent magnet. The magnet has a strength sufficient to form a strong, magnetic connection to any surrounding ferrous metal objects or surfaces, or to permanent magnets mounted on or in surrounding surfaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to drinkware used in active environments, such as in aquatic sports, and in particular the invention relates to drinkware, such as a tumbler with a removable lid or other dispensing means at the top, and a magnet disposed in the base for magnetically coupling the drinkware to any available ferrous metal objects, thereby holding the drinkware in place until a point in time where the user desires refreshment.

2. Description of the Related Art

In my co-pending application, U.S. Ser. No. 17/033,067, filed Sep. 25, 2020, and entitled Magnetic Accessory Surface Mount, I describe stand up paddle boards (SUPs) and other aquatic devices such as kayaks having magnets disposed as a surface mounted element on the deck of the SUP or kayak. The aforementioned co-pending application is hereby incorporated by reference.

As described in my prior application, for a wide variety of water and land vehicles, e.g., boats, automobiles, trucks, and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), significant surrounding structures provide many opportunities to mount drink holders and other devices for holding a variety of accessories. For boats, drink holders can be hung on lifelines or mounted on wheel steering pedestals, or otherwise supported on vertical structures. Accessories like tools, flashlights, cameras, knives and other items can be stored in lazarettes, lockers, glove boxes and other structures which enclose the accessories.

Adventurers who use kayaks, canoes, rowboats and other open deck watercraft often store accessories in containers placed under seats or simply placed rested on the floor of the watercraft. Fetching the accessories does not present an appreciable problem: the adventurer can simply stop paddling or rowing, reach for the container, extract the accessory and use at will. Drinks kept in coolers, as well as accessories, are easily accessed because the adventurer uses the watercraft in a sitting position. Similarly, boats, ATVs and other land vehicles have bulk and vertical structures that keep accessories from being lost or ejected from movement of the boat or vehicle.

Stand up paddleboards, or SDP's, have become popular because of many factors, not the least of which include the inexpensive nature of ownership, storage and maintenance. This is particularly true of inflatable SUPS which can be rolled up and stored in a very small space, and then inflated after carried in an automobile, or in a backpack or carry bag, to the place of intended use. SUPS also provide exercise, by having the use stand on the upper surface and paddle with a single, relatively long-handled paddle. Paddling a SUP uniquely works out a wide range of muscles in the legs, arms, back, stomach and shoulders. While obtaining a high degree of exercise, the user is also experiencing locomotion, traveling from one point of interest to another, thereby achieving a recreational goal while simultaneously exercising.

Unlike boats, a SUP does not have storage space for accessories or coolers, nor do they have vertical structures for hanging or otherwise mounting a drink holder. Accessories such as pocketknives, sunglasses, and drinks are awkward to deal with because a SUP is essentially a two-dimensional structure which, when deployed in water, presents only a relatively flat deck or upper surface on which the user stands. Any item placed on the deck will easily slide off because of motion, or wash overboard when water breaches the surface, as naturally happens when the SUP is in motion.

Drink holders for SUPs are generally known. One known type uses a suction cup to stick a drink holder to the deck of a SUP. A user of places a drink in the drink holder, and as long as the suction cup maintains a grip, the drink is available to the user by bending over and grabbing the drink from the drink holder.

One problem with suction cup-type drink holders is that the suction can be easily disrupted when the drink holder is jarred, or when the wetted upper surface of the SUP facilitates sliding of the suction cup away from the initial point of fixture. Further, suction cups require a perfectly flat surface to make a good connection, such that suction cups for SUPs with textured surfaces, which prevent the user from slipping while paddling, will not work to a reliable degree.

Another type of known drink holder for SUPs involves the use of Velcro (complementary micro-hooks and micro-loops) where a patch of material is glued to the surface of the SUP, and the complementary material is glued to the bottom surface of the drink holder. The problem with this type of drink holder is that the glued surfaces are exposed to water, and will weaken over time. Moreover, there is a tendency for the micro-structures to become less connective as they accumulate particulate debris such as algae and other aquatic plant life.

One of the most common forms of drinkware is the stainless steel tumbler, often painted or coated with a plastic material on the outside walls, and often accompanied by a removable lid. The lid itself may include an opening and a cap which pivots over and onto the opening to provide a sealing engagement when the user is not taking a drink. One problem with stainless steel tumblers is that they are not attracted to magnets, and have no magnetic properties on their own, to be attracted to ferrous metal objects. A need exists for an improved item of drinkware made of non-ferrous materials, such as stainless steel, to be magnetically connected to ferrous mounting surfaces or to magnets disposed in the mounting surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, an item of drinkware includes a container having a sidewall, a bottom and an open top, the bottom and sidewall defining an interior space capable of holding a volume of liquid, a detachable lid in sealing engagement with the open top, a base connected to the bottom of the container, and a magnet disposed in the base.

Preferably, the container can be a tumbler, thermos-shape, bottle shape or other common shape used for refreshment during sporting activities. The container is preferably made of a non-ferrous material, and more preferably, the non-ferrous material is stainless steel. Stainless steel is a type of ferrous alloy, and while it does contain iron, which is ferrous, stainless steel objects are not magnetically attractive normally, given the other components that make up the alloy.

For example, one type of stainless steel includes 11% chromium, which helps prevent iron (Fe) from becoming iron oxide (FeO₂). Other types of stainless steel include the elements carbon, nitrogen, aluminum, silicon, sulfur, titanium, nickel, copper, selenium, niobium and molybdenum, among others. These stainless steels are sometimes designated by a three digit number, e.g., 304 stainless. The base of the container, which holds the magnet, can be made of plastic or ceramic material, or stamped or otherwise formed metal. For connecting to surfaces with embedded magnets, the base can be made of ferrous metal and can be simply attached to the embedded magnet. Alternatively, the magnet can be contained in a ferrous metal base if polarities are aligned properly to be attracted, not repulsed, by the surface to which the container is desirably attached.

Preferably, the tumbler includes a removable lid, but it is also contemplated that the lid can be a screw-on top or other structure that maintains a seal on the interior space and also provides insulation. Containers can be shorter, and wider than the illustrated tumbler embodiment, or larger versions of tumblers, containing larger volumes of fluid.

Preferably, the magnet has a residual flux density (Br) of 14.5 to 14.8 KGs, a coercive force (Hc) of >11.2 KOe and a maximum energy product (BHmax) of 49.5 to 52 MGOe. Magnets of different properties can be used, so long as the goal of forming a detachable binding of accessories to the SUP is achieved. This means that the magnet should be strong enough to resist disruption and unintentional forces, such as when the drinkware encounters an onrush of water, a violet pitch, roll or yaw motion of a boat, land vehicle, bicycle or other active sport devices. Forces of up to a few foot-pounds of energy should be required to remove the drinkware from a connected surface. This allows the user to reach down and grab a tumbler and remove it from the surface with relative ease, but at the same time, inadvertent and unintentional forces, which might wherein the magnet is a rare earth permanent magnet.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of attaching a non-ferrous article of drinkware to a ferrous metal surface which includes forming a container having sidewall, a base and an open top, the bottom and sidewall defining an interior space capable of holding a volume of liquid, forming a detachable lid to be in sealing engagement with the open top, connecting a base to the bottom of the container, and positioning a magnet between the bottom of the container and the base.

Other aspects of the invention will become apparent in view of the following detailed description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of an article of drinkware, in the illustrated embodiment, a twenty (20) ounce tumbler, with a lid resting on the side of the tumbler, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is side perspective and exploded view, showing the tumbler of FIG. 1 , with the base separated as in a pre-assembled view;

FIG. 3 is a vertical, sectional view of the tumbler of FIG. 1 , taken along line III-III of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the base component of a drinkware according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a vertical, sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 4 ; and

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the base component shown in FIG. 4 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-3 , an article of drinkware, such as tumbler 10, can be sized to standard volumes. The illustrated embodiment is of a twenty (20) ounce version but could be scaled up to larger sizes, such as thirty-two (32) ounces or greater. Smaller volumes are possible but less desirable, since the drinkware described herein are suitable for use in active; sporting environments, where the user does not have infinite access to drink storage, dispensing or consuming facilities.

The tumbler 10 includes a substantially cylindrical sidewall 12, a bottom 14 and an open top 16. The sidewall 12 and the bottom 14 define an interior space 18 capable of holding a volume of liquid, such as water, sport beverages, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and food/liquid slurries such as soups. The tumbler 10 is thermally insulated such that whether the contents are hot or cold, the desired temperature can be maintained due to the insulating properties of the tumbler 10.

A detachable lid 20 (FIG. 1 ) fits into the open top 16, and is of generally known construction. The illustrated lid 20 is held in place by a soft interference fit between the outer sidewall and sealing gasket 22 of the lid 20 with the annular inner surface 24 of the top 16. By “soft” interference fit, what is meant is that the lid 20 can be removed by pushing upwardly on the tab 26 which extends radially outwardly from the peripheral edge of the lid 20, using a relatively, weak force. This type of lid is generally known and used in the drinkware art.

A base 28 is connected to the bottom 14 of the tumbler 10 through a hard interference fit. By “hard” interference fit, what is meant is that once the base 28 is fitted onto the bottom 14 of the tumbler 10, the two parts become inseparable and are sealing engagement such that water, air or any other fluid cannot enter the interior of the base 28. A permanent magnet 30 is connected to the interior of the base 28 such as by adhesive bonding.

Preferably, the sidewall 12 and bottom 14 are formed in a known vacuum sealed double wall construction. As seen in FIG. 3 , the sidewall 12 includes an inner wall 32 and an outer wall 34 separated by a vacuum chamber 36. The bottom 14 of the tumbler 10 includes a step-formed portion 38 of the lower end of the sidewall 12, and a bottom wall 40 of the outer wall 34, which has a disc shape and is formed either integrally with the step-formed portion 38, or welded to the end of the step-formed portion 38.

The vacuum chamber 36 surrounds the interior surfaces of the tumbler 10 and thus surrounds whatever is contained in the tumbler. The double wall vacuum chamber provides highly effective insulation to preserve the temperature of the contents of the tumbler 10, A bottom wall 42 forms the bottom of the container and defines part of the vacuum space that surrounds the interior space 18.

All parts of the tumbler 10, except the magnet 40, are made of a non-ferrous material, and more preferably, stainless steel. Stainless steel is a type of ferrous alloy, and while it does contain iron, which is ferrous, stainless steel objects are not magnetically attractive normally, given the other components that make up the alloy. For purposes of this invention, “non-ferrous” thus means a material incapable of having a magnetic attraction capable of creating a holding force.

One type of stainless steel includes 11% chromium, which helps prevent iron (Fe) from becoming iron oxide (FeO₂). Other types of stainless steel include the elements carbon, nitrogen, aluminum, silicon, sulfur, titanium, nickel, copper, selenium, niobium and molybdenum, among others. These stainless steels are sometimes designated by a three digit number, e.g., 304 stainless, which is a preferred material for the present invention.

The base 28 includes a cylindrical sidewall 44 and a bottom wall 46. The magnet 30 is preferably glued or otherwise adhesively bonded to the upper surface of the bottom wall 46. Once the magnet 30 is bonded to the bottom wall 46, the bottom 14 of the tumbler 10 is pressed into the base 28 to form a hard interference fit. Because of the step-formed portion 38, when the two parts are pressed into engagement, the outer surface of the sidewall 12 is flush with the sidewall 44 of the base 28.

Rather than a press or interference fit, the base 28 can be threaded to engage a threaded portion of the bottom 14. Essentially, any known means can be employed to permanently bond the bottom 14 to the base 28. Similarly, any known means can be used to hold the magnet 30 in place. For example, the base 28 could be made of molded plastic which includes molded formations to hold the magnet by snap fitting into molded plastic receptacles or other formations, including sockets. The base 28 could also be made of ceramic material, and whether plastic or ceramic material, the base 28 could be 3-D printed.

It is preferred to use the strongest magnet available for a limited amount of space. For that purpose, rare earth magnets, and particularly, neodymium magnets are preferred. These are permanent magnets made from an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron to form the Nd₂Fe₁₄B tetragonal crystalline structure. These are commercially available from a variety of sources, and are widely considered the strongest type of permanent magnets available commercially.

For aesthetic reasons, the outer surface of the tumbler can be painted, dipped or otherwise provided with a coating of paint, plastic, foam or other materials. Such materials have the potential to enhance the insulating properties of the tumbler 10. Untreated but polished outer surfaces can be provided with graphics, or other artwork displaying brands, messages, college logos, etc. in the illustrated embodiment, the top 16 is shown as a annular ring, indicating an unpainted portion of the sidewall 12. The base 28 may be unpainted or painted, but would still show a circular seem where the base 28 meets the step-formed portion 38.

In FIGS. 4-6 , the base 28 is illustrated as a simple metal stamping, with the magnet 30 adhesively bonded to the inner surface of the bottom wall 46. The illustrated view of FIGS. 4-6 shows a slightly more rounded sidewall 44 than the more squared sidewall in the previous figures. The more rounded sidewall is more of an aesthetic issue than functional. A foam ring (not illustrated) can be used with the magnet as a centering element. For example, a foam annulus or ring having approximately the same diameter as the base 28 is fitted into the base. The center of the foam annulus has approximately the same diameter as the magnet, which nests in the center. From a manufacturing point of view, the ring would help center the magnet, and potentially provide a holding force sufficient to avoid the need for adhesive bonding of the magnet. Moreover, the ring could keep the magnet from moving within the base 28 if the adhesive failed.

Given that the preferred drinkware is a double-walled, vacuum insulated tumbler, or other similarly shaped bottles, containers of generally cylindrical shape, the present invention solves a particularly unique problem, which is to form a vacuum chamber around the bottom and sidewall of the drinkware, and to magnetize a stainless steel vessel so it can couple to a ferrous metal surface. The permanent magnet cannot be fitted inside the vacuum chamber, and it cannot simply be attached to the bottom of the drinkware. The magnet itself needs to be protected from an active, wet environment, such as in the field of aquatic sports. The invention provides for the magnet to be fitted into a base, which itself is fitted to the bottom of a vessel having a double-walled vacuum sealed structure that provides thermal insulation. A complete thermal encapsulation of the fluid inside the drinkware is achieved with the thermal insulation surrounding the sidewall and the bottom, and the removable lid fitted into the top. The lid may not provide the same thermal insulating properties as the vacuum sealed double-wall, but the top presents a relatively minor surface area to be insulated, compared to the combined area of the sidewall and bottom. Nonetheless, it is preferred that the removable lid creates a seal when affixed to the top of the drinkware, and provides insulation by having at least two circular layers separated by an air space. A cylindrical side wall separating the two circular layers is provided with a gasket to ensure a good seal. Alternatively, the side wall could be threaded to engage threads on the top of the drinkware, to provide a threaded engagement between the top and the lid. Other complementary fastening means can be used to couple the lid to the top.

Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that there are other embodiments that are equivalent to the described embodiments. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the specific illustrated embodiments, but only by the scope of the appended claims. 

1. An apparatus comprising: a container having a sidewall, a bottom and an open top, the bottom and sidewall defining an interior space capable of holding a volume of liquid; a detachable lid in sealing engagement with the open top; a base connected to the bottom of the container; and a magnet disposed in the base.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container is made of non-ferrous material.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the non-ferrous material is stainless steel.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the magnet is a rare earth permanent magnet.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the rare earth permanent magnet is made of a neodymium alloy.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the magnet generates a magnetic field of sufficient force to magnetically couple the container to a ferrous metal surface and has a flux density selected to allow extraction of the container by hand with a few foot-pounds of energy and to resist separation from the surface except through the exertion by hand.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container is sized to hold between twenty and thirty-two ounces of fluid.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container has an upper rim, and the detachable lid has a threaded sidewall to threadedly engage the upper rim of the sidewall.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container has an upper rim, and the detachable lid includes a sidewall that engages an inner surface of the upper rim by interference fit, and a dispensing opening having a removable cap.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base comprises a circular disc having a sidewall and a bottom wall, and wherein the magnet is a circular disc shape and is disposed within the base between the bottom of the container and the base.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sidewall and bottom of the container are made of a double-walled stainless steel forming a vacuum chamber.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base has a cylindrical sidewall and a bottom wall, and the magnet is connected to an inner surface of the bottom wall.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the bottom of the container is press fit into the cylindrical sidewall of the base.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container is a double-wall stainless steel structure having a vacuum formed between the double walls to provide thermal insulation.
 15. A method of attaching a non-ferrous article of drinkware to a ferrous metal surface comprising: forming a container having a sidewall, a base and an open top, the bottom and sidewall defining an interior space capable of holding a volume of liquid; forming a detachable lid to be in sealing engagement with the open top; connecting a base to the bottom of the container; and positioning a magnet between the bottom of the container and the base.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the magnet is a rare earth permanent magnet made of a neodymium alloy.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the magnet generates a magnet field of sufficient magnetic force to bind the container to a ferrous metal surface with a force sufficient to allow extraction of the container by hand after applying a few foot-pounds of energy.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of forming a container includes forming a double-wall stainless steel structure with a vacuum sealed between the double walls. 